


Quoth the Raven

by creaturacarissime (sleepyowlet)



Series: The Rasmussen Saga [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Supernatural Elements, Valravn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-09-07 10:55:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16852720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyowlet/pseuds/creaturacarissime
Summary: Astrid, the oldest of three sisters, inherits her grandmother's house in the woods and meets strange creatures there - but none as frightening as Lord Raven, a Valravn.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>  This is the first part in the Rasmussen Saga, the stories of three sisters finding love with monsters. All mine.

Quoth the Raven 

 

by owly

_"Some call them  Valravne , ravens that ate from the glorious dead and gained sapience and immortality; some are as old as time, some rose in great flocks from new battlefields. Wherever there is a war, there you will find them. They are devious, and they take great joy in causing pain and distress, malevolent creatures that they are._  

_And sometimes a Valravn will drink from the heart of a child. This will, again, transform him; this time into a knight. Beware anyone at all who spies him ride; for his eyes are sharp and his heart is cruel, and it will know no mercy."_

  
from the Grimoire of Agnes Rasmussen 

  

 

~~1~~

 

The house had sat empty and unused since her grandmother's death; the garden was overgrown with weeds, and inside a fine layer of dust covered everything. White sheets were thrown over the furniture like shrouds, and of all the house plants Agnes Rasmussen had kept only a few succulents were still clinging to life.

Astrid sighed and got to work. The eldest of three sisters and only one of rather a lot of cousins, she had been the only one who had wanted the house; it was a small, isolated thing hugged by dark woods on two sides. 

The summers she had spent here (sometimes joined by her sisters, sometimes not) with her grandmother had been...magical. Grandmother Agnes had patiently taught her how to care for the garden, which plants needed what to ensure a fruitful harvest. And she had taught her that you had to give back to the land for what you took, where to put little gifts for the elves and faeries.

When Astrid was in her grandmother's home, all these things, the gentle magic, the otherworldly beings, all of that was real. She didn't know how or why, but as soon as she stepped into the lovely garden and walked towards the house, she could feel it surrounding her.

In the end that was why she had returned; she was in sore need of her grandmother's gifts, and had accepted the house in the hope to be able to rekindle some of that joy she had felt as a child. But was that even possible? Or had the magic died with her grandmother?

Only one way to find out.

The second bedroom was easily converted into a workshop for making jewellery; a business Astrid had started a while ago after she stopped working as a kindergarten teacher (the children were alright; the problem was the parents). And soon, the garden was coming along nicely too.

The hard work during the day kept her mind from dwelling on the things that had driven her here too much, but in the quiet evenings she couldn't help but worry about her future. The big 40 was looming on the horizon, and she still had no stable income, no long-term partner, no family - all the things you're supposed to have when you hit 30.

Sometimes she wished she was more like her younger sisters who travelled the world as an archaeologist and a musician respectively and didn't give a fig about what they were supposed to do or have.

She just...needed to figure things out, and this place was the perfect one for that.

Making pretty things gave her joy. Her materials were cheap; but sometimes all you needed was colourful glass or a pretty pebble, and you could make things that rivalled way more expensive ornaments.

The sudden noise of fluttering wings outside the window startled Astrid and made her look up from her work.

A stately raven was sitting just outside, pecking the window with his beak and letting out a demanding caw.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm not letting a raven in here. I know how much you like shiny things!" Astrid said in a mock-scolding tone, and she could swear the raven looked offended. "No, I'm not changing my mind. You can see everything just fine from out there."

The raven pecked at the window again, as if to let her know that he was not giving up. Then he tilted his head to one side and watched her work.

Astrid shrugged it off, ravens were clever, naturally curious birds that took interest in the most unexpected things. So she continued to work, keeping up a one-sided conversation with her new feathered friend and felt a lot less lonely.

The next day she added a few unsalted nuts on the windowsill outside to her routine of offerings. The raven was back and happily pecked at the food instead of the window this time, though again he stayed and listened to her ramble about her frustration with life and other people. It became a habit for both of them, Astrid would put out nuts or cut up fruit for the bird, and he, in turn, would keep her company.

Mornings were spent hunting for slugs and snails while the garden was still moist and cool. There was a hedgehog that was still busy in the morning hours sometimes, and Astrid was always glad to see it. It was awfully cute.

Only one morning the hedgehog suddenly wasn't a hedgehog any more. "Would you mind if I took these, dear?" the creature standing in front of her asked. She definitely resembled the hedgehog, but clearly wasn't one. She had the rotund shape, pointy nose and the dark, round eyes, and when she spoke small, sharp teeth could be seen. Astrid was also sure that there were quills in her hair.

Wordlessly Astrid handed over the small bucket with this morning's catch, and the...whatever she was...took it and stuffed several of the slimy animals into her mouth, the shells crunching as she chewed. "Oh, those are good. But to business. Our Lady's birthday is soon, and I need a gift. A little birdie told me that you make pretty things, is that right?"

Astrid nodded, still speechless.

"Oh, good. Can you make something to go into her hair? Here, you can use these," the strange being said, producing several polished stones in various shades of green. "In return I'll see to it that your garden stays snail and slug-free. What do you say?" she asked and waited for a reply for a moment or two. When none was forthcoming, she huffed, "Well, say something!"

"Who are you?" Astrid blurted, her hazel eyes still wide.

"Your granny told you about us, she must have. I'm fae. How can you not know? You leave things for us to find?" the visitor stated, clearly put out at Astrid's ignorance. "We helped each other out quite a bit, us and the old lady. I was hoping that we could continue that now that you live here."

Astrid nodded hastily, not wanting to seem rude. "Of course. I think I can have a hair ornament done by tomorrow." There were no pending commissions right now that she'd have to hurry to complete.

The hedgehog lady clapped her hands in delight. "Splendid! Until tomorrow, then." And in the blink of an eye she was small again, scuttling off into the bramble bushes.

Astrid in the meantime blinked several times and tried to sort through what had just happened. Fae? She needed answers.

Her grandmother's personal things sat in boxes in the small attic. Astrid shifted through the books and decided to bring a few down with her; herbalism and gardening books would definitely come in handy. There were several handwritten journals too; leafing through those made Astrid realise that those were collections of things her grandmother had learned about the world around her; she found both descriptions of several supernatural beings and a step by step guide for how to send an e-mail. She took those books down with her too to study.

The journals were eye-opening, and Astrid felt half scared, half elated to share the world with the creatures Agnes described. Some, like her new hedgehog quaintance, were relatively benign and easygoing, but that certainly wasn't true for all of them. She decided to tread very carefully and uphold the accords her grandmother had struck with some of them to the best of her ability. When it came to magical beings, it was certainly better to have friends than to have enemies!

The hedgehog lady finally introduced herself as Quill the next morning when Astrid handed over the hair ornament she had made. It was a delicate, leaf-shaped thing with some of the green stones dotted around. The rest she gave back and thought that this would be the end of it.

But making something for a fae lady hardly ever came without consequences.

She found an invitation on her doorstep a couple of days later. The paper had a strange, soft texture and the ink was shimmering green. Apparently the fae lady had liked her new hair ornament so much that she wanted to meet the person who had made it. The letter instructed her to be at the little pond in the woods at the break of dawn at Midsummer Day.

According to her grandmother's journals, solstices and equinoctials were a big thing for the fae, and this would certainly be a very special occasion.

...

Astrid felt a bit silly standing in the clearing with the pond in her one formal gown, a floor-length thing in powder blue that went well with her copper hair. She had worn exactly once-

Best not to think of that.

Then her thoughts did grind to a halt when out of the morning mists stepped a figure that seemed to be taken straight from a nightmare. He was very tall, dressed in black, and he seemed human enough if it wasn't for the digitigrade legs and bird-like top half of his head. As he drew closer, she saw that around his torso he wore a very finely made decorative armour shaped like a ribcage and what seemed to be a livery collar made of bird skulls around his neck.

Wordlessly the stranger held out his hand that resembled the claw of a bird with sharp, black talons and scaly skin, and Astrid noticed a silver ring with a huge black stone. Other than that he just stood there, waiting, his face an unreadable mask.

Astrid intended to hand him her invitation, but he grabbed her hand instead, which made her rear back in fright, the letter fluttering to the ground unheeded. The birdlike man merely placed her hand in the crook of his arm and started walking, and Astrid had not much of a choice but to go with him.

The world around her seemed to shift and spin, and suddenly she found herself in what seemed like the same clearing, but with many people bustling around, feasting, or dancing, tables were laden with food and drink, and garlands of strange flowers were hanging in the branches of the trees. For some reason it wasn't morning but evening; the air wasn't brisk and fresh any more, but filled with warm summer smells. Twinkling lanterns were lit in the ever growing darkness.

On a dais in the middle of the revelry sat who was without a doubt the Lady. She smiled as Astrid was led towards her by her frightening companion.

"Thank you, Lord Raven, for bringing our guest," she said, and the birdlike man bowed to her and went to stand off to the left behind her throne. To the right already stood a tall knight in bright silver armour with fine features and dark red hair who grinned and winked at Astrid when he caught her looking.

The Lady turned her attention towards Astrid. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation to our celebration. Please join us in making merry."

"It's an honour to be invited, my Lady," Astrid replied with an awkward bow. But that must have sufficed because the Lady nodded, still smiling, and turned her attention to the shiny knight at her side.

The one she had called Lord Raven was still glowering.

There was a tug on Astrid's hand. "Come on, let's have fun!" Quill grinned, dragging her off to one of the tables.

This put Astrid in a bit of a conundrum; you weren't supposed to accept fae food, weren't you? Lest you be trapped in their realm forever?

Quill rolled her eyes. "Oh, go on. You know, your grandmother was exactly the same, wouldn't touch the food the first time we invited her. There's a special fruit we use in marriage ceremonies that will bind you to the one you share it with, but trust me, you'd know it if you saw it."

Astrid decided to trust Quills words (fae creatures also never outright lied, didn't they?) and put a few delicious looking things on her plate; and it turned out they were just as good as they looked.

The people around her were alien but at the same time strangely familiar; some resembled woodland animals, some insects or flowers - the Lady herself had certain dragonfly aspects.

A lovely girl with shimmery green wings asked Astrid to dance, and soon she was learning the intricate steps and patterns of fae dancing. The silvery knight (who introduced himself as Sir Escurel of the Oak), partnered her more often than anyone else, and she found him witty and charming. It would have been a perfect time - if only Lord Raven hadn't hovered at the fringes of her vision like a black cloud.

"Don't mind him," Sir Escurel said as he led her across the floor to another lively tune. "He's not overly fond of humans. Valravne rarely are, and he's more surly than most."

"Is that what he is?" Astrid asked around a sudden knot in her throat. A Valravn? She had read about them in her grandmother's journal. They were hostile, and Agnes had written down quite a few grisly things, like them eating the hearts of the slain and drinking the heartblood of children so they could change into a human form. Did that mean Lord Raven had killed a child?

Had she known what he was when he had appeared to her in the morning mists, she would have taken her grandmother's advice and run as if the hosts of hell were after her.

"Do you need some rest? You've gone quite pale," Sir Escurel asked with a worried frown.

Astrid tried for a smile and shook her head. "I'm fine." As fine as one could be when a dangerous creature like a Valravn kept staring at one with murder in his eyes.

Time flies when you're having fun, and so all too soon a new day dawned, and the revellers disappeared one by one, some staying to clear the glade of leftover food and decorations. Quill took Astrid's hand and led her to the dais and the Lady, who smiled happily when Astrid told her that she had enjoyed the celebration very much.

"I am glad that you liked it here," the Lady said, "I was hoping that we could share the same friendship that we shared with your grandmother. But now it's time to get you home. Lord Raven will escort you so you'll arrive safely."

Astrid bowed, not voicing her doubt that there was not a lot she needed protecting from by Lord Raven than except maybe Lord Raven. That would have been awfully rude. She just had to trust that he'd put his sense of duty above his personal hatred for humans.

He held out his hand again, and this time Astrid took it. He held her hand atop his as he walked in a way she'd seen in medieval illustrations. The scaly skin felt dry and warm on her own, and he made sure not to let his talons touch her at all. The world shifted around them and again Astrid stood in the falling dusk, in her own plane of existence this time. She expected the Valravn to let go of her hand and return to from whence he came, but instead he started down the path to her house.

Astrid didn't quite know how to feel about that; on one hand she was grateful for the company, since the path was uneven and she was wearing a long dress and very impractical shoes. On the other hand, he knew where she lived.

They walked in silence, Lord Raven didn't speak, and Astrid felt like it would be a very bad idea to annoy one like him. So the minutes it took to reach her garden gate were the most awkward in her entire life. She spent them looking down to the ground, glancing at their joined hands now and again, and at his strangely glittering ring that seemed to carry a star in the big, central cabochon.

He left her at her garden gate with a bow, and Astrid hurried inside after giving him a quick nod of thanks. When she looked out of the window, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter of the first part of the Rasmussen Saga. Astrid finds an injured birb and takes care of it. All mine.

~~2~~

After the Midsummer party Astrid returned to her usual routine; she tended to her garden, made jewellery and trips to the closest town when she sent her creations off to buyers, and she left the usual little gifts around her property for the fae to enjoy. Now that she knew that they actually existed and appreciated her offerings, Astrid put a lot more thought into them. 

She also kept putting fruit and nuts out for her raven friend, but he didn't return, which made her sadder than she wanted to admit to herself. She missed his knock at her window, and his intelligent eyes watching her as she worked. And even though she knew he didn't understand a word she said, it had felt good to tell him about her thoughts and worries.

She was mowing the grass one afternoon when she heard a loud squawk and her raven tumbled into her garden, closely followed by a fox. Astrid raced over to the two animals and shooed the fox off with a shout, then turned to the raven sitting in the grass with his left wing hanging limply.

"Oh dear," she said softly, crouching down. "You know me, yes? I used to feed you. Still would, if you'd visit again." Her words meant nothing to the bird, but she hoped that they'd soothe him enough for her to pick him up. She'd have to keep him quiet somehow, so Astrid stripped off her shirt. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you seem injured. There's a vet in town, and I think she treats wild animals too. I'm going to take you there so she can make your wing better."

To her surprise, the raven didn't protest when she wrapped him up in her shirt.

"Look at you, what a cute plaid burrito," Astrid joked as she carried the bird inside to hunt for her phone.

The raven caught a strand of her hair in his beak and tugged before letting out an offended sounding caw.

Arranging to have the raven checked out by the vet was not a problem, so Astrid got the raven settled in a large basket lined with an old towel for the journey to town. After that she changed into a fresh shirt and with the raven next to her, drove to see the vet. They didn't have to wait long, and the vet, a friendly woman in her fifties, carefully felt for a break in the (surprisingly calm and docile) raven's wing.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she finally said, "The ulna is fine, only the radius is broken, so that's easily fixed with a bandage. You can leave the bird with us, I'll bring him to a wildlife rehab centre after work."

Astrid chewed her lip a little, not liking the idea of strangers taking care of the bird she considered a friend, but finally nodded. He was definitely better off in professional care, and it wasn't as if she'd never see him again; they'd surely release him near her house. "Alright, thank you," she said and left the room.

That's when the raven started to make an awful racket. He was screaming and flapping his wings wildly until Astrid came hurrying back. The vet was now wearing antibiotic cream and bird poop, and her glasses sat crookedly in her face. The raven waddled up to Astrid and stuck his head under the hem of her shirt, making a pathetic little noise.

The vet cleared her throat. "Well. That doesn't seem like an option. Do you have the time to take care of an injured bird?"

Astrid nodded, gently stroking the raven's glossy feathers. "Yes, I work from home, and my house is quiet and secluded. I also don't have any pets that might harm him. If you tell me what to do, I'm sure I can take care of him until he's ready to fly again."

The vet adjusted her glasses and gently grabbed the raven. "Alright you fusspot, let's fix your wing and then you can go home with your friend."

The raven, again as docile as a lamb, let her do exactly that, while the vet kept up a running commentary of what she was doing and what Astrid should pay attention to concerning her temporary houseguest.

Astrid made a quick stop on her way home to stock up on things the raven would need in the next weeks, and then she got him settled in her house. She quickly went around making sure her valuables were under lock and key, and that there was nothing hazardous lying around.

Living with a raven was surprisingly easy. He didn't really cause trouble, and beyond having to clean up a fair share of bird poop out of her sink (for some reason he preferred that which made her wonder if he had been raised by humans and house trained - it would also explain why he had bonded with her so easily), nothing really changed. Except that she now had a raven perched on her shoulder when she worked on her jewellery, and that responded to her asking it for opinions with a variety of surprisingly melodious coos and trills. In the evenings as she sat reading on the couch, he would sit with her and insist of holding one of her fingers in his beak.

Quoth, as she had decided to name him in a fit of immaturity, liked to cuddle, and Astrid enjoyed gently running her fingers through his soft, warm feathers. "I really missed you, you know. I hope you'll come visiting me again when you're well."

The raven cooed and nipped at her finger.

"Okay, I'll take that as a yes," Astrid said with a smile.

That day came very soon indeed two weeks after Astrid had rescued the raven. They took another trip to the vet, and a quick manual check of the healed bone and the wing's range of motion later Quoth was handed back to her with a clean bill of health. The wing had healed up perfectly, and the raven would fly again.

Quoth was visibly happy with the cast removed, and flapped his wings. The one that had been broken was still a little stiff, but the vet reassured Astrid that this would fix itself shortly. Both woman and raven were visibly happy on their way home, even though for Astrid the whole thing was bittersweet; she had to say goodbye to Quoth now.

It was in the late afternoon that she stood in her garden, the raven perching on her hand. "You'll come back to visit, yes?" she asked, swallowing her tears. "Now off you go. Fly home, wherever that is. I'll miss having you around, but you're a free bird."

Quoth leaned in for a coo and a gentle nibble at her nose as if to say goodbye, then he spread his magnificent wings and took flight.

Astrid went inside and decided to get some work done. Her shop was taking off, and she had several orders for various pieces of jewellery. She worked until late at night, and went back to it in the morning. A little while after her afternoon break there was a familiar flutter of wings outside her window. Astrid's face split into a wide, happy smile as she saw her raven outside, and she quickly opened the window to let him in. That's when she saw that he was carrying something in his beak. "What's that?"

Quoth dropped his cargo on the mat right next to the piece she was working on and puffed out his chest, looking very proud of himself. Astrid's heart almost stopped in shock.

She knew that ring.

Her chair fell over backwards, so forcefully she had pushed it back as she jumped away from her desk. "Oh no. Quoth, what have you done?"

The raven looked as confused as a bird can look, which is very, and gave an inquisitive caw.

"The guy who owns that ring? He hates me. As in, deep, dark, would-gladly-murder-me hatred," she cried out, covering her face with her hands. "Oh what a disaster."

The raven was agitated now, cawing and flapping his wings, jumping out onto the ledge. 

Astrid carefully stepped closer, trying to shush him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's not your fault, you just tried to do something nice for me," she said quietly, and the raven came back in, letting her pet him. "But this is horrible. What am I supposed to do?"

She uprighted the chair and sat down, and the raven jumped in her lap for more cuddles, as if trying to comfort her. She tried not to think of it, but her mind kept playing out one grisly thing Lord Raven might do to her after the other.

A while later he left, and Astrid tried working on her jewellery again, but her hands shook so much she put down her tools and retreated to the living room where she curled up on the couch desperately trying to come up with some sort of solution, some way of getting that thrice damned ring back to its owner, preferably without said owner knowing. There must be someone who could help her?

Maybe there was! Astrid jumped up and fetched the ring from her workshop. Dusk had fallen, and that meant that Quill might be out and about in her garden.

Astrid stepped out into the moist grass, looking for her hedgehog friend. "Quill? Are you there?"

As she passed the fence that was overgrown with honeysuckle (a favourite spot of Quill's) a flutter of wings startled her. Astrid whipped around and saw Quoth sitting on the fence post next to the garden gate. "Hello Quoth. Isn't it a bit late for you? Maybe you can help me looking for my friend Quill, I really need her to sneak the ring back to Lord Raven."

Quoth fluttered his wings and jumped off the fence post, but the feet that touched the ground weren't the dainty ones of a common raven. Astrid stumbled back with a gasp as suddenly the Valravn she feared so much loomed over her. That was it. She was dead.

"I meant to give you the ring. It's yours. You saved my life and were kind to me," he said quietly.

Wait, what? "You're...you're my raven. Quoth. That was you, the entire time?"

"Yes," Lord Raven replied and made to take a step towards her, only to halt in his movement when Astrid painfully bumped her hip against the stone birdbath in an attempt to get away from him. "I really wish you wouldn't fear me so. You've no reason."

She tried to align her affectionate raven with the fearsome creature in front of her and failed. "How...how is that even possible..." Astrid blinked a few times in utter confusion. "You...you let me tickle your belly and stuck your head under my shirt!"

It was hard to tell in the growing darkness, but Lord Raven looked like he might be blushing. "Yes. I suppose I did that. When I'm a raven I'm also more raven than now."

"But. You hate me. You kept staring at me like you'd nothing rather than to slit me open from navel to nose and bury your claws in my entrails!" Astrid accused him, "And you didn't say a single word to me as we were walking home from the celebration!"

Lord Raven lowered his head. "You seemed to have made up your mind about me, and I didn't know what to say," he replied quietly. "And I wasn't staring at you. I was angry with that trice damned squirrel. He seems noble and charming, but he likes nothing more than to stir the pot. And he kept dancing with you. Dancing! When he knew perfectly well what that means..."

Astrid tiredly rubbed her face with both hands. "This is going to take a while isn't it? You'd better come inside, then. If we're going to try and fix this, we might as well do it over a nice cup of tea."

"I'd like that. And maybe we can have some of those almond biscuits? You never let me have any," he replied with a faint smile, and Astrid laughed as she led him inside.

He looked strangely out of place on her grandmother's chinzy couch in his black velvet coat, even though he was missing the more morbid accessories today. Now that there was better light, Astrid could see that his eyes weren't uniformly black as she had previously thought, but a blue so dark it almost vanished into his pupils.

"It's...a bit weird for me," Astrid said as she re-entered the living room with a tea tray. "I'm apparently already friends with someone who I thought hated my guts. Like, it's a done thing. I word vomited my deepest, darkest secrets all over you for weeks."

The Valravn shrugged and took one of the biscuits he so coveted. "At first I wasn't at liberty to show you who and what I really was, and later...I did stop visiting since I thought you didn't want me to. And when I was injured? Shape-shifting with a broken bone is generally a really bad idea."

Astrid mulled that over. "Alright, I suppose you really didn't have a lot of leeway to solve this. I'm still a bit...confused, though. I guess. My grandmother's journals and her observations about your world are really accurate so far - but she wrote some really awful things about Valravne," she took her cup and blew on it, staring into the honey golden liquid inside. "In fact, there's not a single creature she talks as badly about. It almost seems personal. So if there isn't another Valravn close by who's a real piece of work, that means you did something to her."

"I suppose, in a way I did. Well, since I already know your deepest darkest secrets, as you put it, it's only fair I tell you some of mine," Lord Raven said, shifting on the couch uncomfortably. "To make a long story short, I once did a favour for a seer, and I asked she show me a glimpse of my future in return. She was reluctant, but eventually she did. And I saw myself fall in love with a lovely woman with copper hair - a woman who seemed to utterly despise me."

"So what did you do?" Astrid asked.

"I didn't visit regularly, but on one occasion I saw you and recognised you as the woman from my vision. That was...about a decade ago, I think. Your grandmother showed the first signs of sickness back then, so I came to her and offered her a bargain. I would prolong her life, but in return she'd give you to me as a bride." He ducked his head in shame. "She didn't take it. Said she'd rather die than sell a loved one. I regretted that soon after and tried to give her a draught to heal her regardless, but she didn't trust me."

"And so she wrote all those horrible things down, which scared me, and made me afraid of you. And the thing became a self-fulfilling prophecy," Astrid continued his thought. "But your plan had failed, why did you visit me at all?"

Lord Raven shrugged. "I got curious. You moved in, and you kept up with the gifts, and I just wanted to know what it was that would attract me so much." He shot her a sheepish smile. "Found out pretty soon. And then I thought I could impress you at the Midsummer Feast, but by then the damage was already done and the first thing you did was recoil from me."

Astrid snorted. "That was because you're fucking scary. I didn't even know what you were when you came to get me at the pond all decked out in bones and skulls."

"Oh."

"Yeah, pretty much." Astrid put down her cup and groaned into her hands. "What a mess."

"Fixable, I hope?" Lord Raven asked quietly, with a blink of his nictating membranes.

Astrid stared at her hands and thought that over. "I suppose?"

Scaly, clawed fingers gently closed around hers and she looked up. "Let me be clear, as to prevent future misunderstandings. I would court you, my precious, and show you that I am sincere. Will you let me?"

"So we'd be...dating? Doing things together?" 

Lord Raven nodded. "Wear the ring and call for me. I will come. But for now...it's getting late, precious, and I should let you sleep."

"But what do I call you? I can't very well keep calling you Lord Raven. Or Quoth," Astrid asked him.

Lord Raven thought for a bit, then pulled Astrid to her feet. "Raban. That's as close a thing to a name as I've got," he replied with a shrug.

She accompanied him to the door and he kissed her hand in an old-fashioned, courtly manner before he changed back into a raven and flew off into the darkness. When she returned to the living room to clear away the tea tray, she laughed.

Somehow Lord Raven had managed to nick all her biscuits.


	3. creaturacarissime | Quoth the Raven - Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third and final chapter of the first part of the Rasmussen Saga. Astrid has a boyfriend now! Let's see how that goes... All mine.

 

 

 

 ~~3~~

  


 

Having a Valravn boyfriend was...different. They spent a great deal of time together with Raban sometimes as a raven, sometimes in his hybrid form. He was very affectionate in both, and Astrid found she liked that a lot. Her former boyfriends had never been overly demonstrative, and so she deeply enjoyed the long cuddles on the couch while they were reading or binge-watching TV-shows on netflix.

True to his raven self, he did absolutely brilliant impressions of various celebrities that had Astrid in stitches, and was pretty well-versed in human pop-culture. To Astrid's question about Sir Escurel saying he didn't like humans much, Raban merely shrugged and replied that he liked individual humans just fine, but the atrocities he had witnessed in his time soured him somewhat on humanity as a whole. Astrid tought that was fair enough.

The first time she saw him in his more human form standing in the sunlight, she was spellbound. The black feathers on his head shone and shimmered like an oil spill, and his eyes reflected the light like dark sapphires. They were weeding her garden, and Astrid just removed her gardening gloves, buried her hands in his soft feathers and kissed him. Raban dropped the weeds in his hands and held her tight.

After a while they came up for air, and he rested his cheek on her sun-warm hair. "Oh finally."

Astrid looked up at him quizzically. "Finally?"

"I've been wanting to kiss you for ages. Holding your finger in my beak is close, but doesn't quite cut it," he replied.

"Wait. Holding my finger in your beak is like...kissing?" she asked, fascinated.

Raban nodded with an affirmative hum. "And like holding hands. Mated ravens do it for hours."

Astrid grinned at him. "Well with all your raven traits, I hope the sex won't be like the birds do it - a short ruffle of feathers and everything's over in seconds."

The dangerous grin that spread over Raban's face would have sent her running a few weeks ago, but now it just made certain parts of her tingle. "Would you like to find out?"

"Well, I don't know. Would it be more fun than weeding?" she teased and squeaked as Raban grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

He carried her to the bathroom and put her on her feet again, and at Astrid's confused look he just shrugged and said, "You're filthy. I'm not letting you in the bed like that."

Astrid's eyes bugged in outrage, but he kissed her again and she lost her train of thought.

"Get clean, love, I'll wait for you in the bedroom," he said with a peck to her forehead.

Astrid shrugged and pulled her dirty work shirt over her head. "Will you be waiting naked?"

"Now that would be telling," Raban purred in reply and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Astrid took a glance at herself in the mirror and cringed. Raban was right, she thought, she was so filthy you could clearly see where her shirt had ended on her skin. Sometimes she envied Raban - he could just transform into a raven, spend two minutes in the bird bath and was done.

But in a way she was grateful to have some time to herself before getting that intimate with him - like most women she did have some things she was insecure about - especially unwanted body hair - and now she had the chance to just discretely shave and pluck until she was satisfied.

Massaging shampoo into her hair she giggled to herself - her boyfriend was mischievous but at the same time incredibly thoughtful. When she was done she took the time to dry her hair - at least mostly. Wet hair in bed was not fun.

As Raban had promised, he was waiting for her sitting on the edge of the bed. He had spread sweet-smelling wildflowers over the sheets and pillows and was only dressed in a simple shirt and a pair of trousers, his scaly, clawed feet sticking out from the bottom.

"Flowers?" Astrid asked, holding her towel around her with one hand and picking up a sprig of meadowsweet with the other.

Raban pulled her down to sit with him. "Well, it would usually be a nest, not a bed, and I'd decorate it with shiny things, but I didn't think you'd appreciate being poked by random objects."

"Good thinking," Now that she was sitting right next to him, she didn't quite know what to do, and some other insecurities reared their ugly heads. "So. Uhm. I suppose we should clear a few things up. I can't have children, and...I've got a rather horrible scar on my belly."

Raban shushed her gently and pulled her close. "I know. You already told me, weeks ago when you still thought I was just a bird. I remember. Your last lover left you because of that." He rested his cheek on her head and sighed. "My kind can't procreate anyway, and I don't mind scars. I have a few of my own that are not nice to look at, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to find fault in yours."

Astrid went for a cuddle as the painful images from her past rose up in her mind. Per had been everything one would want in a boyfriend. He'd been kind, and he'd been loyal - at least he had been until Astrid had lost her uterus. They had gone to celebrate the opening of an exhibition (one of Per's friends was an artist), and Per had been kind of nervous and secretive the week before so Astrid was sure he was going to ask her to marry him. She had preened and primped for hours and had bought a lovely blue evening gown just for that occasion...

Instead, Per broke up with her. Said that he wanted children with his future wife, and that she no longer fit the bill. Well, he had used prettier words, but that was the gist of what he'd said.

Raban cooed at her and stroked her hair. "I won't turn on you like that. Never."

"Trust me to kill the mood. I come with a lot of baggage, don't I?" Astrid grumbled into Raban chest.

He pulled her closer. "Not more than I'm willing to help you carry. Besides. I can do this..." his voice trailed off and he started tickling her mercilessly until she was shrieking with laughter.

The towel got lost in the scuffle, and Raban's tickles turned into loving caresses. His scaly, clawed hands felt strange on Astrid's bare skin, but very pleasant too. Not wanting to be the only naked one, she tugged at his shirt.

Raban shrugged out of it and a moment later his trousers joined it on the floor.

Astrid took a moment to look and trail her hands down his smooth chest to his belly, where... "Are those feathers?" she asked in delight, running her fingertips through his downy happy-trail.

Raban blinked at her. "Uhm. Yes?"

"They're so soft! I could pet your fluff all day," Astrid teased him.

Raban's mouth drew itself into a pout. "But I thought we had planned other things?"

Astrid pretended to think. "I don't know? Will it be nicer than your feathers?"

Raban growled and rolled them over, looming over a still giggling Astrid. "I suppose you're about to find out."

The sizable beak above his mouth made things a bit difficult, but Raban managed just fine after a few false starts, covering Astrid's body with little nips and kisses. He took note of the places that got the best reactions really quickly, praise his fast learning raven brain!

Eventually her legs ended up over his shoulders and the beak rested on her pubic mound as he buried his mouth in her soft pink folds. Astrid closed her eyes and gave herself over to the magical things her lover did between her legs, her hands caressing the top of his head where glossy feathers mingled with long black hair.

Raban brought her to orgasm almost effortlessly, which was a first. As she lay panting in the flowers, Raban let down her legs and positioned himself above her. He let Astrid recover for a bit, just caressing her face and neck, whispering praises.

Astrid lifted her head for a kiss, and her birdlike lover gladly obliged. She could feel his erection pressing against her mound which excited her anew, so she smoothed her hands down his back to his pert, round ass and squeezed.

Chuckling into her mouth, Raban nipped at her lips with his teeth. "More?"

"If you'd be so kind," Astrid replied drolly and laughed too.

A sinuous movement of his spine, and Astrid gasped as his cock speared her in one smooth stroke. It felt wonderful, big and hard, and suddenly she couldn't wait.

"Gods...fuck me. Now," she panted, rolling her hips in encouragement.

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he lifted his head to look at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. We can do slow and gentle next time, right now I need hard," Astrid replied, her nails digging themselves into the smooth skin of his buttocks.

And so he did as she had asked, and for the first time in years Astrid felt wild and free, a powerful wave of joy washing over her as she screamed in passion and held on for the ride.

Afterwards they cuddled on her bed, cocooned in the soft covers. Words weren't necessary, and Astrid was happy.

Time moved on, and soon Astrid found another invitation on her doorstep, this time for the harvest celebration at the autumnal equinox. Her garden had flourished, and she'd put together a basket with the best fruit and vegetables as an offering to her hosts. She even splurged on a new dress made by one of her fellow internet craftspeople; something whimsical and dreamlike in golden taffeta and maroon velvet.

And how different her reaction was this time to Raban in all his ceremonial splendour! As soon as he came to escort her to the fae realm, she wished he would just hike up her skirts and ravish her against a tree.

Well. Perhaps later. And judging by the tiny smirk sitting in the right corner of his mouth, he knew.

"You're early. Not that I mind, but I'm not ready yet," Astrid greeted him absentmindedly, her fingers busy trying to wrangle her copper curls into something like a proper updo.

Raban just smiled and batted her hands away, deftly weaving ribbons and strands of hair together into a crown. "I thought I could show you my home before we join the harvest festival," he explained.

"Oh yes, please! And thank you, this looks lovely," Astrid replied while he hunted through her bits and bobs for the perfect sparklies to put in her hair. As usual he took longer than strictly necessary; she'd suspected for some time that he just liked digging through shiny things. Well, she couldn't blame him, she was exactly the same.

He took her down the path, but entered his realm at a different spot. A short walk later they arrived at a huge, gnarled tree, and cradled in its main branches was a carefully built and woven tree house.

Astrid laughed in delight. "You live in a tree. Of course you do! It looks so cosy, but how do I get up there?"

"I do get visitors who can't fly. Sometimes," he replied and turned into a raven to fly up. A moment later a rope ladder came clattering down.

Navigating the thing in a long dress was tricky, but eventually Astrid managed to make her way up to Raban's home. House? Nest?

It was all three, somehow.

The tree house was more spacious than it had seemed from below, but that might be due to fae magic. It was also very cluttered, various odds and ends covering every available surface. But instead of messy, the effect was charming because every object was sitting just so.

Astrid happily moved from place to place to look at it all. An old wooden tea crate mounted to the wall was obviously where he slept in his raven form. "Hey, is that my old beanie? I had wondered where it went..."

Raban blushed a bit and looked down at his feet. "You bought a new one a while back and didn't wear the old one any more. It smells like your hair."

"I don't mind. I think that's adorable, you sleeping in my beanie. Not that you do that a lot any more with all the sleepovers at my place," she teased him, stepping over to put her arms around his waist.

He returned the loose hug and purred in her ear, "Admit it, you love our sleepovers at your place."

"Yup, sure do. I just like our sleepovers, no matter where they are." Astrid looked through the window he had pieced together out of multicoloured glass shards. "Looks like the sun is going down."

Raban sighed and said, "So it is. We should get going."

The path to the festival grounds was a short one, and soon Astrid saw the winking lights and beautiful decorations that came with a fae party, could hear lively music and laughter. They entered together, Astrid on his arm like the first time they met, but this time it was exactly where she wanted to be. They greeted the Lady, and soon they were sat at a table with Quill and Sir Escurel, who looked at them in comical despair and sighed, "Oh no. Please don't tell me you did end up with this old grouch."

"Okay, I won't tell you then," Astrid teased in reply and pecked a kiss on Raban's cheek, which made the corner of his mouth twitch up in a half-smile.

Sir Escurel gasped in comical shock, clutching at his heart. "That mine tired old eyes may behold such a sight - our grumpy Valravn smiling!"

"Oh put a sock in it you goof," Quill jibed, pulling a strand of Escurel's firy hair, to which he reacted with overly dramatic cries for mercy.

Raban took Astrid's hand in his. "Will you dance with me?"

"Yes, I'd love to," she replied and got up from her seat to accompany her lover to the dance floor.

A new song struck up, and they started to move in tandem. Raban smiled happily - at least he did as his facial expressions went. To others it was probably barely noticable, but Astrid had learned to read his face well. "I've wanted to dance with you for so long," he said, "Mated ravens fly in tandem, dancing through the air. The closer they are, the older their bond, the more synchronised their flight is."

Astrid smiled and nodded for him to continue.

"Dancing with you is as close as I can get to that. And...it makes me very happy," Raban whispered into her ear.

He was an amazing dancer, and Astrid couldn't imagine ever wanting to dance with anyone else. He intuited her moves, guided her around the room and all she had to do was trust him. After a bit he encouraged her to be more active, and so it became what she imagined the mating flight was; a back and forth in complete harmony.

No wonder he'd been mad enough to spit nails when Sir Escurel had danced with her.

After a while he moved them through the fringes, and with a mischievous grin spirited her away into the dark woods.

Astrid followed him giggling, until he backed her into a tree.

"The woods are a dangerous place at night," he purred, "Who knows what might happen?"

Playing with one of the raven skulls around his neck, Astrid replied with a coy smile, "Indeed, some fearsome creature might look for a maiden to ravish!"

Raban grabbed two fistfuls of her long skirts and trew them up to reach beneath. "No panties? One might think getting ravished by some fearsome monster is what you want."

"Only if it's one particular monster." Astrid drew him in for a kiss, and he grabbed her butt and hoisted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. One of his clawed hands fumbled with the ties of his trousers until she could feel his erection rubbing against her bare sex. That and the thrill of maybe getting caught got her wet in no time.

A quick jerk of his hips and he was inside her, filling her up so good. He took his sweet time and his movements were torturously slow; Astrid couldn't help but grind her hips against his impatiently.

"Quiet my precious, you wouldn't want anyone to hear you cry out and come to investigate, would you?" he whispered in her ear.

Astrid bit her lip and shook her head.

"Good. Patience, my precious, good things come to those who wait..."

The buildup was nigh unbearable; she needed to come, now! But her lover showed no mercy and kept to his slow pace, whispering salacious things into her ears. Then his thumb moved to her clit, giving her the needed stimulation after too long a time of being stuck on the precipice of an orgasm.

"Raban, Raban, I can't...can't..." she gasped and her lover quickly covered her mouth with his, swallowing her loud moan as she finally, finally was able to come.

He didn't hold out much longer and Astrid could feel him shudder as he spilled himself inside her. They stayed interlocked after for a long moment, neither wanting to be parted from the other.

But all moments must pass, and so he gently let Astrid down, steadying her as she tried to find her feet again.

"Everyone is going to know exactly what we did," she grumbled, "I can't even walk right."

Raban helped her fix her hair and dress with nimble fingers. "It'll pass, my love. There is one more thing I want to show you before we return to the festivities."

Curiosity piqued, Astrid let Raban lead her through the underbush to a lovely glade. Astris stopped and stared; this must have been one of the loveliest things she'd ever seen. There was a stream running through, and fireflies (at least Astrid thought they were fireflies) were dancing in the air. In the middle of the glade stood one solitary tree.

Raban tugged at her hand and she stepped closer. The tree didn't look like any tree she'd ever seen, it had a silvery bark that gleamed in the moonlight, the leaves seemed uncommonly dark, but the strangest thing about it must have been the fruit.

Those looked like overgrown raspberries, but each bulbous segment glowed from somewhere within. From the bottom of each fruit grew a flexible stalk with a yellow flower which also emitted a soft light.

"What are these," Astrid breathed and reached out to touch one but stopping short, not quite daring to. "I've never seen anything like them."

"You heard the tales, yes? Eat the fruit of the Fae and you'll be forever bound to them. It's not every fruit we grow that has that effect, just these." Raban explained and stepped closer to the tree to carefully pluck one. "These fruit bind two souls together. It's our way to marry."

Astrid had an inkling as to where this was going, but didn't retreat as he stepped towards her, offering her the fruit.

"Will you accept me as your mate till death do us part and beyond? We have danced and we made love in the moonlight. Will you be mine, Astrid Rasmussen, and allow me to be yours?" he asked quietly, intensely, and Astrid was transported back to the moment she had first laid eyes on him, and again felt fear.

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

She heard Raban sigh. "And again I've frightened you. I'm sorry, precious, I didn't mean to. You don't have to answer right now, if you're not sure. I suppose...I just wanted you to know where I stand."

His willingness to defer to her decision, to give her time and let her choose on her own terms did more to banish her fears than any gentle reassurance ever could, and she opened her eyes to look at her raven.

And for the first time in many years she felt absolute certainty. "Yes, Raban, I will. I don't ever want to be parted from you."

He broke the fruit and offered her half of it, and Astrid accepted the sweet-smelling, lambent thing. Gazing deeply into each other's eyes, spellbound, they both lifted their half of the Fae fruit to their lips and took the first bite.

It tasted like sunshine and laughter, like honey and the happy smells of grandmother Agnes' baking. And she knew, knew in the deepest parts of her soul that no matter what the future might bring, she'd never have to face it alone.

When the fruit was eaten Raban led her back to the festival grounds where they were welcomed with great joy. He offered the flower from the end of the fruit to the Lady who received it with a bright smile.

And Raban and Astrid danced together until the morning star faded into the first light of dawn.

The End


End file.
